A Sea of Islands, Each With Its Own Voice
The Caribbean is the great arc of islands and coastal territories between Florida, Central America and South America, known for warm turquoise water, reliable sunshine and some of the most distinctive island cultures on earth. Geographers group it into the Greater Antilles, the Lesser Antilles, the Lucayan Archipelago and a scattering of southern islands off Venezuela. Spanish, English, French, Dutch and Creole languages share the same sea, and each island adds its own music, cooking and carnival traditions to the region.
That diversity is the region's greatest strength. The Greater Antilles bring size and variety: the mountains and reggae rhythms of Jamaica, the colonial streets of Old San Juan in Puerto Rico and the long beaches and golf of the Dominican Republic. Further east, the Lesser Antilles curve south in a chain of volcanic and coral islands, where a short ferry or flight can change language, flavour and landscape in an afternoon.
Choosing Your Island Group
The northern Leewards suit travellers who want polish and powder sand: Anguilla, St Martin and St Barths sit within sight of one another, while Antigua and Barbuda adds sailing heritage and a UNESCO-listed dockyard. The Windwards, including St Lucia, Grenada and Martinique, are greener and more dramatic, with rainforest trails, spice plantations and the twin Pitons. Barbados sits slightly apart as a coral island with a famous rum, cricket and dining culture.
Water lovers head for the Grenadines, where yachts and tiny islands make sailing holidays easy, or to Bonaire and the southern Dutch islands for diving and constant sun. The Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos and the Cayman Islands offer shallow, glass-clear seas and very short journeys from North America. For a tourist board, this range means every island can claim a clear, honest identity rather than competing on the same beach-and-palm message.
Read the full The Caribbean guide on Visit Travel Group, or see TheCaribbean.com on Visit Travel Group.